The prime minister was asked on Tuesday whether he had stopped shaking hands with people in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19.

He told reporters: "I am shaking hands. I was at a hospital the other night where I think there were coronavirus patients and I was shaking hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know, and I continue to shake hands.

"People must make up their own minds but I think the scientific evidence is… our judgement is that washing your hands is the crucial thing."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale, north London. (PA)

“Stop it now, you were absent when floods devastated communities, now daft #coronavirus stories, go back to hiding in fridges!”

A Number 10 spokesperson would not comment specifically on Angela Rayner’s comments but told Yahoo News UK: “The PM visited a hospital where there were coronavirus patients being treated and he met staff who were treating them.”